I just reached the maximum level, and you want me to be a puppet emperor?

Chapter 491 I absolutely cannot let you get away! (Please subscribe and vote with monthly tickets)
When Dai Xiaoyao returned, the afterglow of the setting sun had already shone through the window lattice, casting dappled light and shadow on the bluestone ground.

Tang's mother then realized that it was already late and quickly stood up, saying, "If you two gentlemen don't mind, please have a simple meal at my humble abode."

“Okay!” Dai Xiaoyao readily agreed, rolled up his sleeves and followed her into the kitchen. “Godmother, I’ll help you out.”

Li Chen stood in the courtyard, seemingly admiring the mountain scenery at dusk, but in reality, he was thinking about how Dai Xiaoyao should help him.

In Li Chen's view, Tang's mother definitely did not know that Dai Xiaoyao planned to offer her to Li Chen.

It was this feeling of being unaware, along with the mature woman's reserve, that was what Li Chen liked most.

Inside the kitchen, Dai Xiaoyao deftly prepared the ingredients.

His movements with the cleaver were fluid and graceful; in the blink of an eye, a piece of meat was sliced ​​into paper-thin pieces.

"Xiaoyao's knife skills are quite good. I didn't expect that you, as king, would still know these things," Tang's mother praised.

"Not at all, when I was training in the sect, Xiao Shan always said my swordsmanship was at the master level." Dai Xiaoyao boasted a bit.

While stirring the spiritual vegetables in the pan, Tang's mother asked casually, "Your friend is quite something, isn't he?"

The kitchen knife twirled beautifully between Dai Xiaoyao's fingers: "Godmother has a good eye; Young Master Li is indeed no ordinary person."

Tang's mother sprinkled some spices into the pot, her profile appearing particularly gentle in the hazy steam: "He is familiar with top-grade pill formulas and can see through the formation here at a glance. I feel his cultivation level must be quite high? It's really good that you have such a friend."

Dai Xiaoyao paused slightly in his hand holding the kitchen knife, and lowered his voice to say, "Godmother, to be honest, I am not qualified to be his friend at all."

"What?" Tang's mother was so shocked that she stopped cooking.

She turned to look at Dai Xiaoyao, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Although Xingluo Kingdom is a small country, its king is not to be underestimated. Who could possibly make Dai Xiaoyao say such a thing?
Seeing that Tang's mother was starting to show curiosity and doubt, Dai Xiaoyao knew he had taken the bait.

Amidst the rising steam, Dai Xiaoyao's expression was exceptionally earnest: "Xiaoshan and I are like brothers, so my godmother's affairs are my affairs. I know that you must be suffering here in seclusion, and I may not be able to help you, but Young Master Li can definitely help you."

Tang's mother sighed softly, slowing down her stirring: "Child, you have good intentions, but in Tian Ce, some forces, though not well-known, are still unapproachable."

She shook her head and said nothing more.

It's already quite clear that she offended a hidden force.

Those hidden forces all have many Saint Realm experts in charge, their sects are full of geniuses, and they have many powerful figures.

Dai Xiaoyao: "What if I told you that the young master Li is none other than Li Chen, the Saint Realm Emperor of Tian Ce?"

With a "clatter," the soup spoon in Tang's mother's hand fell to the ground.

Dai Xiaoyao reacted quickly, catching the spoon just as the handle was about to touch the ground.

These words struck Tang's mother like a thunderbolt.

Her legs went weak, and she nearly collapsed to the ground, but luckily she managed to grab the stove for support. The image of that young man flashed through her mind; no wonder he possessed such extraordinary bearing, no wonder he spoke with such profound knowledge of the world's affairs!
No wonder Dai Xiaoyao wasn't qualified to be his friend. If Li Chen were the Emperor of Tian Ce, Dai Xiaoyao certainly wouldn't be qualified.

"If it's that His Majesty," Tang's mother murmured to herself, a glimmer of hope gradually igniting in her eyes.

She had long heard of Li Chen's formidable reputation: invincible in the Saint Realm, the supreme ruler of the world, the sovereign of heaven and earth, commanding the submission of countless sects. If he were willing to take action...
But then she shook her head with a wry smile: "Why should His Majesty help a country bumpkin like me?"

Dai Xiaoyao had been waiting for these words! He said casually, "Godmother, you are underestimating yourself. I just saw His Majesty chatting with you very happily."

Upon hearing this, Tang's mother's eyes, which shone like stars, turned sorrowful as she said, "Even if we get along well, we're just strangers who met by chance, so why would he help me?"

Li Chen was the reigning emperor of the powerful Tian Ce Dynasty, his status was so noble, how could he possibly help her for no reason? For a moment, Tang's mother even felt that Dai Xiaoyao, even as a king, was still being too presumptuous.

As soon as she finished speaking, a glint of light ignited in Tang's mother's eyes again. She immediately looked at Dai Xiaoyao and asked again, "Xiaoyao, do you know what kind of rare and precious materials this Young Master Li... no, the Heavenly Strategy Emperor likes?"

In Tang's mother's view, Dai Xiaoyao must have gained Li Chen's favor to be able to follow him, and it is even very likely that he presented Li Chen with some treasure that pleased him greatly. Otherwise, as the Emperor of the Starfall Empire, he would not be able to travel with Li Chen at all.

Dai Xiaoyao knew exactly what Tang's mother was thinking, and immediately shook his head with a wry smile, saying, "Godmother, the Tian Ce Empire has a territory that is many times larger than all the southern countries combined. Would the dignified Emperor of Tian Ce lack any rare and precious materials that we can obtain?"

The light that had just appeared in Tang's mother's eyes dimmed again upon hearing these words.

Yes, according to the legends she had heard, this Heavenly Emperor not only had absolute control over the Heavenly Empire, but was also a top expert with the strength of a Saint at the peak of the Saint Realm, which ranked among the top in this continent. How could she possibly give him what he wanted?

When Dai Xiaoyao saw Tang's mother's eyes dim, he felt a surge of excitement. He immediately pretended to be deep in thought and casually shook his head, saying, "Your Highness does indeed have something you like, but..."

Dai Xiaoyao swallowed the rest of his sentence halfway through.

As a competent wingman, how could he not know that manipulating a woman's emotions to the extreme would make it easier to achieve his goal? That's exactly what's happening now. As long as he's not in a hurry, it's Tang's mother who will be!

Sure enough, after hearing Dai Xiaoyao's words, a glimmer of light flickered again in Tang's mother's eyes, which had been dimmed. However, she appeared very composed, having already experienced the trials of time.

Instead of pressing Dai Xiaoyao for answers, she simply focused her attention on him and waited for what would happen next.

Dai Xiaoyao felt that this matter was not easy to bring up. Since Tang's mother did not ask, he naturally would not take the initiative to say it. He just stared at Tang's mother, sighed deeply, shook his head, and then lowered his head to continue stir-frying the spiritual vegetables.

For a moment, the only sound in the kitchen was the sizzling of the vegetables being stir-fried in the pot.

It has to be said that Dai Xiaoyao was quite adept at playing hard to get. After waiting for a while without getting a response, Tang's mother finally couldn't sit still any longer. She frowned and asked quietly, "Xiaoyao, for Tang Shan's sake, please put in a good word for your godmother?"

As he spoke, he couldn't help but glance out of the kitchen a few times, as if he were doing something wrong.

In Tang's mother's view, these matters might involve some secrets, just like the hidden sects she had offended. There were too many things involved, and it could only be said that those who knew understood, and those who didn't know wanted to know the truth, which was not something that could be explained in a few words.

Even so, in order to get Li Chen's help, she had no choice but to ask him, since it involved the safety of Tang Shan's father.

Upon hearing this, Dai Xiaoyao secretly curled his lip. If you hadn't mentioned Tang Shan, that would have been fine, but now that you have, I'm not letting you get away today!

(End of this chapter)